


Burn Bright

by astralgabriel



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Baker Gabriel, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fire, Firefighter Dean, Firefighter Sam, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Protective Sam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-17
Updated: 2015-12-20
Packaged: 2018-03-23 11:19:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3766213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astralgabriel/pseuds/astralgabriel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Or, the four times Sam Winchester visited "Heaven's Delights" for pastries and coffee (and the baker), and the one time he didn't.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. one two three four

On a corner in Lawrence, Kansas, where Marshall Road and Elysian Street intersected, there was a bakery. It was a quaint white building with a sign hung just above the door. Curly gold letters spelled out _Heaven’s Delights_ , all shiny and new.

It was a Tuesday when Sam first went into the bakery. He’d just finished his first shift at the fire department, and Dean had suggested he swing by when he had time. “They’ve got that rabbit stuff you like in there too, not just pie,” Dean had said, and Sam had laughed as Dean shrugged off the heavy fireproof jacket. “Treat yourself, you’ve done good today.” When Sam rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to protest, Dean shoved a $5 note into his hand and pushed him out the room.

And so, Sam had found himself inside _Heaven’s Delights_ for the first time.

The inside of the bakery had been renovated recently, if the way everything sparkled was something to go by. That, or it was owned by someone with a clean freak complex.

As the name had suggested, everything was thematic. The walls were white with gold swirls running the borders. A plethora of jar lights were hung from the ceiling at random intervals. It was unique, and it felt cozy.

The main menu, hanging on the wall behind the counter, had two large gold wings bordering it on both sides. And the menu items were all the same brand of cheesiness – Angel Cake sat happily at the top, followed by Devil’s Delight. Winged Rolls were a play on Spring Rolls, Sam figured. That was, till he crouched and looked into the glass display cabinet. In the middle of the third shelf were what looked like Cinnamon Rolls with white fondant angel wings. Sam chuckled lightly, not noticing the man leaning over the counter.

“You need any help there, kid?” Sam looked up in surprise, and stood up. The man watched him with a smirk.

From the way his lips curved, to the glint in his eye, the man looked like the very embodiment of mischief. His golden hair was loosely styled backwards off his face, with a few strands tumbling forward.

“Uh… I’m not sure what to have. What’s good?”

“Depends on what you like, bucko. Gotta give me something to work with,” the man retorted. _Gabriel_. The badge on his green apron read Gabriel, in the same curly writing as the sign.

“Something… something fruity, please,” Sam replied.

Gabriel dropped to a crouch between the glass display, tapping a finger against his lips. His brow furrowed as his eyes scanned the top shelf, looking for something. “Ahah,” he mumbled, pulling out a pastry with tongs and sliding it into a paper bag. Sam read the label on the tray – _Cream Horn (of Gabriel)_ – and smiled.

“Not overwhelmingly sweet, with a bit of raspberry jam for good luck,” Gabriel said as he stood up. He placed the bag on the top of the glass container, and tapped on the till. “So, you new around here? Would’ve remembered seeing someone like you about.”

Sam handed the $5 note over as the till flashed up $3.85, and tried to ignore Gabriel’s fingers brush against his. “Nah, I’ve been meaning to swing by for a while now. But my brother sings praises for this place, said I’ve got to come in. So, I did,” Sam said as he shrugged nonchalantly.

Gabriel glanced around – Anna seemed to be handling the other customers well for now. “What’s his name? I probably know him, if he’s a regular.”

“Dean Winchester?”

Gabriel furrowed his brow. Sam thought it was adorable. “Bout yay high?” Gabriel asked, sticking his hand out to just below Sam’s height, “Looks like a Ken doll, works down the fire department?”

Sam laughed, and Gabriel loved the sound. “Yeah, that’s Dean.”

“So, whaddya do down here?” Gabriel was praying for it to stay quiet for just a little longer – normally, the cute guys came in during the rush hours and he never had chance to speak with them. So this was definitely a nice change.

“Firefighter as well – finished my first shift today.”

“Oh! You know little Cassie then? He works down there too.”

Sam paused for a moment and bit his lip as his brow furrowed. “As in Castiel, always broody and super intense? Dark hair and ridiculously blue eyes?”

Gabriel nodded and grinned. “Yeah, that’s him. My cousin, though he’s more like a little brother.”

“Wait, you’re the Gabriel who turned all his white tops pink?”

Gabriel quirked his eyebrows, impressed, and smirked wider. “My reputation precedes me, I see. Though that one was pretty tame.”

“Dean’s told me all the stories,” Sam said, chuckling.

Someone coughed impatiently behind Sam, and Gabriel frowned at them. “I, uh- I’d better go,” Sam said, grabbing the paper bag. “See you around?”

“Sure,” Gabriel replied, and Sam started for the door. “You forgot your change, kid,” Gabriel called after him, mentally slapping himself for not asking for a name.

“Oh, thanks,” Sam said through a bright grin. “It’s Sam, by the way. Not kid.”

Gabriel smirked to himself, watching Sam walk out the door. When the next customer placed an order, he almost gave them a Divine Bun instead of a Mocha Latte.

* * *

The bell above the door rang at 11:32 am, Thursday morning. Gabriel was just carrying a tray of fresh pastries out of the kitchen, when Sam walked up to the counter with tired eyes and messy bed hair. Because that wasn’t at all hot, Gabriel thought.

“Heya! Sam, right?” Gabriel chimed out. He knew it was Sam, but it was only the second time Sam had come in. He didn’t want to seem too keen.

“Hey Gabriel,” Sam replied with sleepy grin.

“So, I didn’t poison you with the last one?”

Sam shook his head and laughed. “No, no. It was actually pretty good, for something sweet.”

“Best compliment my cooking’s ever gotten,” Gabriel said with a smirk. “What can I get you this time, kiddo?”

“Surprise me,” Sam said, shrugging. He had very little to no knowledge on anything sweet and sugary, and he definitely didn’t feel in the mood for something savory. In all honesty, he wanted something fresh and salad-y, but fresh and salad-y didn’t include a flirty baker.

“Righty-o,” Gabriel said, and promptly ducked down. After a moment of debating, he pulled out a dark brown cupcake wrapped in red paper. He placed it on the top, and shuffled to the coffee maker, sliding a takeaway cup underneath.

“I, uh… I didn’t order coffee?”

“Complimentary on the house, Sam. No offense, but you look like hell. What time did you start?”

Sam rolled his eyes, but didn’t have the energy to protest. “3 am. It was only an eight hour shift, but I’d had another eight hour before that with no sleep between.”

“Yikes. Sounds like you had a riot,” Gabriel remarked, popping a white plastic lid on the top of the cup. He put it down next to the cupcake. “One steaming hot coffee for one steaming hot fireman,” he said with a wink, and Sam flushed red with a small grin.

Sam gave Gabriel a handful of coins, and the baker laughed. He counted out $2.10, and gave Sam over half back.

“You go and sleep, okay? I want you lively and perky next time you come through that door.”

Sam nodded in response and grinned at Gabriel as he walked away, almost into the glass door. Gabriel laughed at him, and Sam groaned. “See you soon,” Sam called as he walked out, taking a drink from his coffee.

“Yeah,” Gabriel said, smiling to himself. He was going to allow himself the flirtation whilst it lasted. It wouldn’t progress further – Sam was probably straight, knowing his luck – but it was fun for now.

* * *

“Good afternoon, Sammich!”

Sam laughed at the nickname as he walked through the door and up to the counter. Something about Gabriel felt so familiar and comfortable, Sam felt like he’d known him for far longer than a week. “Afternoon, Gabe. You busy today?”

Gabriel quirked his eyebrow and gestured around the bustling bakery. A short red-haired girl rushed past Sam, tray filled with hot sandwiches and drinks. “Not really, bit of a quiet day today.”

“I thought as much,” Sam retorted, and Gabriel smirked.

“Hows about a Holy Fire today? It’s pretty fitting, given your job.”

Sam furrowed his brow in confusion, and tilted his head a little. Gabriel thought he looked ridiculously precious like that, like a puppy. He shook his head to try and rid the mental image of Sam as a puppy. “What’s a Holy Fire?”

Gabriel plucked a slice of cake from the top shelf, and held it up to Sam. “Pumpkin cheesecake, drizzled in honey, with a bit of red food coloring for effect. Totally safe food coloring, by the way. You look like the kind of guy who fusses over that.”

“Not sure if I should feel insulted that you’re presuming things, or complimented that you’ve been thinking about me enough to presume things,” Sam retorted. Gabriel just waggled his eyebrows in response, and placed the cake on a tray.

“If you care to join me, I can hook you up with another free coffee,” Gabriel said. He had a wide grin plastered across his face. Sam didn’t have anywhere to rush off to. It was two hours till his shift started. He had time to kill.

“Sure, I’d love to,” Sam replied. Gabriel walked over to the coffee machine with an extra spring in his step. “Haven’t you got to deal with all the customers though?”

“Nah, end of my shift now. Kevin‘s taking over from me,” Gabriel said. He carried two ceramic cups – one standard latte and one mocha latte with chocolate sprinkles – over to the tray. Gabriel paused, then grabbed a slice of a chocolate fudge cake called Temptation, and winked at Sam as he put it down. “Perks of the job,” he said matter-of-factly, nodding to himself.

Sam couldn’t help but laugh, and handed over $2.95 to Gabriel. The baker slipped it into the till, then pulled his apron off and tossed it into the arms of a shy looking young man. Kevin, Sam guessed.  
Gabriel picked up the tray with experienced, steady hands, and led Sam to a small empty booth at the back. The seats were made from dulled sandy-brown leather, contrasting against the white wooden structure.

“So,” Gabriel said as he broke part of the cake with his fork. “Tell me something ‘bout you.”

“I, uh… I like dogs?” Sam offered up, shrugging. He lifted his cup off the tray and sat it down in front of him, hands cradling around it.

“Mm!” came Gabriel’s response as he tried to eat a forkful of cake. Sam was quite thankful at how animated Gabriel’s facial expressions were, otherwise he’d be left wondering if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Gabriel’s big eyed, closed mouth grin told him he’d definitely said a good thing. “You’re like the jackpot, you big tree! “

Sam laughed, and shook his head disbelievingly. “Did you just call me a tree?”

“A _big_ tree, Sammich. Keep up!”

“Right, a big tree, sorry.”

“Oh man, you’ll have to meet Fenrir!”

“Fenrir?”

“Yeah, little Jack Russell. He’s a rescue, and far too bouncy for his age.” Gabriel smiled fondly as he shoveled another forkful of cake into his mouth. “Pretty sure he’s gonna start collecting his doggy pension soon.”

“Alright, alright,” Sam said through a wide grin. He was almost in awe at how easily Gabriel had created the conversation from nothing, and made it feel completely easy and natural. “Your turn for the random fact.”

“Oh nope. I just told you ‘bout Fenrir’s life story,” Gabriel retorted, digging his fork back into the chocolate cake.

Sam laughed and shook his head a little. “What do you want to know?”

“How’s about, why did you become a fireman? That’s not as forward as half of what I’m thinkin’.”

“Long story. Very, very long story there,” Sam replied. He decided to try the cake Gabriel had selected for him this time. It wasn’t overwhelmingly sweet, which Sam appreciated, and the pumpkin taste was a nice, barely there constant throughout. He wasn’t quite sure what he was expecting, but it wasn’t something like that.

“I’ve got time, and I’m all ears.”

“My mom died in a fire when I was a kid. Arson, actually. I was too young to remember any of it, but knowing that someone had walked away, with no punishment… It made me want to become a lawyer, make sure no-one else could. So, I got into Stanford for Law…”

Sam trailed off, and Gabriel frowned. Part of him wanted to reach out, to gently touch Sam on the hand as a reassurance. “When did it all change?” Gabriel asked, hoping he wasn’t pushing too far. Sam noticed his tone was much quieter than before; he spoke with sympathy and understanding.

“My girlfriend in uni. I went out to the bar for a few drinks with the guys, and when I got back to the apartment… The apartment had burnt down. She died in the fire. They said it was a gas explosion. I had nowhere to stay down there, and I couldn’t carry on after that, so I stayed with Dean for a while, working for a family friend at a scrapyard for just over a year.

“It was hearing Dean talk about his shifts. He’d gone into firefighting pretty much straight away, and it just felt like the right thing to do. Knowing what it felt like, to lose people to fire, I wanted to try and stop that.”

Gabriel was staring at him, like he was trying to fathom Sam. For the first time, Sam noticed the baker wasn’t talking. Just being still and silent and very un-Gabriel like.

“Gabe?”

“Shit, I’m sorry kiddo. Didn’t mean to pry or anything.”

“No, no. Don’t worry about it. If I didn’t want to talk, I wouldn’t have talked, yeah?”

“It’s put a real damper on the mood.”

“Well,” Sam said, letting a smile lift his lips. “We’ll have to change that. What’s your story? Why’d you become a baker?”

“Not just a baker,” Gabriel replied, and Sam quirked an eyebrow curiously.

“Now I’m intrigued. Are you an assassin too? Should I be worried?”

Gabriel laughed and shook his head. “Nah, nothing quite that exciting, sorry to disappoint.” Sam fake frowned, and Gabriel rolled his eyes. “I own this place, along with a few other bakeries across the state. But this one,” Gabriel tapped the wall with a grin, “this one is my favorite kid.”

“So, businessman and baker extraordinaire? Anything else I should know?”

“I’m great in bed?”

Sam laughed. “I don’t doubt that.”

Gabriel grinned, and Sam caught himself staring. Gabriel had the most ridiculously golden eyes he’d ever seen, like someone had drizzled caramel over a light bulb. They were always so bright and attentive, and full of mischief and youth. Gabriel’s eyes crinkled as he smiled wide into thin laughter lines, etching his happiness across his face.

“Earth to Sam?”

“Huh?”

“You spaced out there, bucko,” Gabriel said.

“Is this a… You know-“

“A date?”

“Yeah.”

Gabriel shrugged. “If you want it to be a date, then it’s definitely a date.”

“No,” Sam said and shook his head. Gabriel faltered a little, frowning. “No, this is a practice date. Like, a mock first date. We need to do it right.”

“Oooh, trying to wine and dine me, Winchester?” Gabriel asked with a wink.

“Maybe,” Sam retorted, grinning.

“So… when and where?”

“I’ll bring my rota in next time, so we can sort when we’re both free and not sleeping,” Sam said. “As for where… That’s a surprise.”

* * *

“So, I’ve got my rota an- You’re not Gabriel.”

The young man behind the counter – he barely looked out of high school – frowned at Sam. Sam frowned back. “Uh, no. I’m not. Sorry,” he said, and shrugged.

“Is he around?”

The young man blinked and glanced awkwardly to the customer behind Sam. New to the job, clearly. “Um, he’s in the kitchen. Baking, and stuff.”

“Oh, cool. I’ll come back some other time then.”

“Yeah, so-“

“Alf! Stop trying to scare off my boy toy!”

Gabriel emerged from the doorway to the left of the counter, with a metal tray gripped between two mitted hands. His apron was covered in a thin dust of flour, and what Sam hoped was red food coloring. His hair was pulled back roughly by a black elastic headband, and Sam liked the way it looked. His hair all curled up and flicked out around his neck, messy and wild.

“Your boy toy?”

“Mhm,” Gabriel replied, sliding the tray into the glass cabinet. It was lined with rows of winged cupcakes, white and red and brown. “Did I stutter?”

“I’ve got my rota,” Sam said, waving the piece of paper at Gabriel. The baker lightened at the sight of it, a grin breaking out across his face.

“Great! Just gimme a sec,” Gabriel said, and turned to ‘Alf’. He slung an arm around the young man, and gestured to the growing line. “C’mon kid, I didn’t hire you to just stand here and look pretty. Can’t keep these good folk waiting!”

‘Alf’ flushed a little at that, and stumbled over taking the next order. Gabriel decided to lean over the counter next to him, beaming up at Sam. “Cut him some slack, Gabe. I’m guessing he’s new?”

“He knows I’m kidding, Sammich. Meet Alfie, another of my little cousins.” Alfie gave an awkward smile and wave, before turning back to the customer. “Swear these guys flock to me.”

“Maybe you’re just a great cousin?”

“Flattery will get you everywhere, Winchester. You’re learning quick,” Gabriel said teasingly.

“Note to self – compliment the big headed baker more,” Sam retorted. Gabriel laughed and snatched the rota from Sam’s hand. He unfolded it out on the counter top, trailing across Sam’s shift pattern with his finger. He stopped quite quickly, jabbing his finger at Friday night.

“Here. I’m free. You’ve got time to catch up on your beauty sleep from the Thursday shift.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Sam replied, committing the day to memory. “I’ll pick you up from here, 6pm?”

“You got it,” Gabriel said animatedly, clicking with his tongue at the end.

“Great,” Sam said, and he knew he was grinning like an idiot. He knew he was probably going to be grinning like an idiot for the next hour too, and he’d probably start grinning like an idiot when he put the diner reservations in.

“Much as I’d love to stay and chat till the end of days, someone’s got to bake the cakes and keep this place in business,” Gabriel said. He pushed himself up off the counter, and dusted off the flour imprint his apron had made. “See you on Friday, Sam.”

“See you on Friday!” Sam called out as Gabriel walked back towards the kitchen. Gabriel turned and winked at him, before retreating back to the floury depths of the bakery.

Sam left _Heaven’s Delights_ with an excited happiness he hadn’t felt since he first met Jess.

* * *

It was a late Thursday night.

Sam was on duty when the call came in.


	2. five

Dean was tugging his gloves off from the last job – a small house fire, which they got under control quite quickly – when the bells sounded. He was technically off duty now, but he waited. If it was something big, he could manage a little longer and lend a hand.

The locker room filled with life pretty quickly, as firefighters rushed to hit the ninety second limit and head out. It was twenty seven seconds when Charlie spoke over the intercom. When Sam felt his heart drop.

“Alright boys,” she said, all crackle and static. “We’re dispatching three fire engines. Big fire at a bakery on the Marshall Road and Elysian Street corner. Called in by a passerby, you’ll have to play nice with the responding paramedics.”

“Shit,” Dean muttered, pulling his gear back on as he glanced across at Sam. Sam who hadn’t moved, standing over his locker. It only took moments to put his gloves and helmet back on. He clapped his hand on Sam’s shoulder. “Come on, suit up. You gotta treat it like a normal fire, Sammy.”

Sam took a moment to just breathe, to try and wash away the fear tangling itself in his judgement. He pulled the jacket out of his locker, and Dean zipped it when Sam couldn’t stop his hands from shaking. He tugged the oxygen tank on his back, strapping the mask to his waistband. Dean clicked the buckle straps across Sam’s chest.

“Thanks,” he mumbled, and pulled the helmet on.

Sam jogged out to the nearest fire engine, pulling himself up the ladder and into the truck. Dean followed closely behind, and a quick glance told him their normal team was all there. He pulled the door across.

“We all in, brother?” Benny called back, gripping the steering wheel tight.

“All in, Benny,” Dean responded.

“Alright, buckle up boys!” Dean mock saluted, before sitting down next to Sam. The sirens began to blare, and Benny pulled out of the fire station. His foot was pressed hard on the accelerator as they skidded out onto the road.

“Time till arrival – four minutes,” Benny said.

They were the longest four minutes of Sam’s life. Anything could happen in four minutes. It took as little as two minutes to pass out from smoke inhalation, and as little as ten to die from inhalation. Sam didn’t know how long that fire had been burning. It could’ve been well over ten minutes by now. He felt genuinely sick.

Then there were the burns. He hadn’t seen anything too bad in his two weeks yet, but he’d heard enough stories from Dean. He remembered that one time that Dean Winchester, one of the most stubborn, independent people out, had taken up the counseling the fire department offered. He’d seen enough photo of third degree burns. He didn’t even want to think about fourth degree burns.

There was the building, as well. The infrastructure looked relatively stable, but Charlie had said it was a big fire. Enough to weaken the infrastructure. If anyone – Sam refused to think about names – was inside, and it began to crumble, that would lead to being trapped. And then it was back to smoke inhalation and burns again.

“Time till arrival – one minute. Get ready.”

Sam’s hand flickered up to the flashlight on his helmet. He knew they had to assess the danger first. He knew that was procedure, and if he didn’t adhere, that meant a disciplinary at the very least. But he also knew the terrifying plethora of ways to die in a fire, and if there was even the slightest chance Gabriel was in there, he wasn’t waiting for any kind of assessment.

“Alright boys, go go go!” Benny yelled, and they began to file out the vehicle. Garth was unwinding the hose as Balthazar ran to find whoever was co-ordinating.

“Sorry, Dean,” Sam said as he jumped off the ladder.

“Sam?” Dean called, and Sam turned towards the bakery and ran. “Sam!” Dean yelled, his own pace picking up after Sam. He glanced around – nobody seemed to be ready to make a move. Swearing to himself, he chased after Sam into the bakery.

Sam struck the glass door hard with his elbow, and climbed in. He clicked the flashlight on his helmet, and began to look. The café area was relatively fine, though the smoke was thick. His gloved hand grabbed for the oxygen mask, and he took a deep breath, following the line of light through the smoke.

“Gabriel!” Sam yelled, dropping the mask to do so. No response. He lifted the mask back to his face, heart pounding hard against his chest.

Orange danced by the kitchen door. Sam almost broke down there. The chances of a kitchen starting in the fire with no-one there were slim. He almost ran, when a tight gloved grip stopped him. Sam turned, Dean standing behind him, oxygen mask in his other hand.

“You’re not doing this on your own,” Dean said, and took another breath.

“Thank you. Thank you so much.” Sam’s voice almost cracked.

Dean nodded, and released his shoulder. Sam started towards the kitchen, his pace a little slower and more careful than before. Everything was going to be okay. Dean was here. Dean was helping. Everything had to be okay.

Inside, it was a maze of ovens and tables with fridges and freezers lining the walls. One of the ovens was wide open, gaping with fire spewing out. Still turned on. Sam knew it. He knew it. He felt so scared and sick. Dean noticed, and pushed forwards, avoiding the dancing heat. Sam followed him, eyes glancing frantically across the whole room.

Nothing but thick smoke and fire.

No Gabriel.

Sam didn’t know how to feel. He didn’t know if he should be hopeful at the fact that maybe Gabriel wasn’t here, or had managed to get out. Or scared, for a scenario he didn’t want to picture.

Either way, he wasn’t leaving till he’d searched every last inch of the bakery.

He couldn’t.

Sam didn’t notice the loud creaking till Dean had grabbed his arm, pulling him away from the center. Moments later, a beam fell from a slowly collapsing ceiling, right where Sam had stood. The flames licked up it, turning the chocolate brown tones into ashy black. They both knew, realistically, they had to hurry. The building structure was weakening. It wasn’t at all safe to be searching.

“Focus, okay? You’re going to end up killing yourself,” Dean yelled over the crackling. His voice was all kinds of determined, and his eyes were alight with a passionate protectiveness. Sam had no doubt Dean would drag him out of there if he needed to.

Sam nodded, and his eyes flickered to a cluster of apples by the stock room door. Apples, just lying on the floor. Sam pushed past Dean, taking a deep breath from the oxygen mask before dropping it.

“Gabriel!”

No response again.

Sam rounded into the stock room. It was all fire, and black smoke, and-

Gabriel was lying on the floor, damp towel in his limp hand. His other arm fell awkwardly underneath him. Sam dropped to his knees and scanned him – no obvious injuries, apart from maybe his arm. Externally, at least. He pulled off a glove, then pressed his fingers against Gabriel’s neck, just under his jaw. There was a pulse, but it was faint and slow. His chest was still rising and falling, but it was barely noticeable.

Sam strapped the oxygen mask around Gabriel’s head, and pulled his glove back on. He slipped one arm under Gabriel’s knees and wrapped the other around his shoulders, lifting the smaller man into his chest with relative ease. His head lolled to the side on Sam’s arm as he stood up.

“Dean?”

“Wait there a second.”

Dean moved to the door of the stock room, watching as another beam fell to the floor, snapping in half on impact.

“We’re sharing this,” Dean said as he lifted his oxygen mask to Sam. Before Sam could protest, it was pressed against his face. He took a deep breath, and nodded. Dean copied him, and dropped the mask to his side. He lifted his hand and clicked the light on his helmet, then gestured Sam forward. The smoke was getting thicker.

Sam coughed. Dean turned around, concerned, and decided to strap his oxygen mask around Sam’s head. He knew Sam would kill him over it later, but that was later.

Dean held his arms out to Sam as the younger Winchester climbed over the beams. Sam’s every move was careful, his eyes constantly flickering towards Gabriel. The moment his foot was over the wide beam and down, he felt Dean’s hands on his arm, supporting him.

Dean led the way into the café area, where the flames had begun to curl round the door. With a hard kick, the remains of the glass door were forcefully opened. He knew Sam wouldn't be letting go of Gabriel any time soon, and didn't want him to try and climb through with him.

“We need paramedics over here!” Dean yelled as they got out. He unbuckled the oxygen mask on Sam, freeing him to run over to the stretcher approaching them.

“You're gonna get your ass roasted for that stunt, bub,” Benny said. Dean shrugged, watching Sam lay Gabriel down on the stretcher as another paramedic jogged over to them.

“I couldn't let him go in alone, and Sam wasn't going to wait.”

Benny smiled sympathetically at him, and clapped a hand on his shoulder. “You gon' call Cas then?”

“Shit,” Dean muttered, rubbing his eyes with gloved hands. “I forgot about Cas.”

* * *

"Sir-“

“Sam. Sam Winchester.”

“Mr Winchester, unless you know the patient, we need to ask you to leave.”

“No. I- He’s my boyfriend.”

The two paramedics glanced to each other, then back at Sam, as he helped wheel the stretcher into the ambulance.

“Please. His name is Gabriel Novak. I know who he is.”

“Aren’t you on duty?”

“I don’t care.”

They paused. “Shit, fine. We need to get moving, we can’t waste time. Get in, Mr Winchester.”

“Thank you,” Sam sighed, and moved over to the side of the stretcher as the paramedics closed the rear doors. The moment they shut, the ambulance jolted to life. Sam could only watch as they removed his oxygen mask from Gabriel, replacing it with a clear, regulation one.

It was a blur for Sam. He remembered hearing a soft, constant bleeping start at one point. He heard the paramedics remark that the bleeping wasn’t fast enough, or steady enough. Sam knew what that meant, but he didn’t want to understand it – he wanted to stay naive, to deny what was happening. Gabriel would’ve made a joke to diffuse the whole situation, Sam thought.

“His arm.”

“What?”

“I think he fell on his arm,” Sam explained, pointing. “His left arm. He was lying on it when I found him.”

One of the paramedics – an older woman – nodded and using a pair of scissors, cut up left sleeve of Gabriel’s shirt. She pressed her fingers gently, running down the length. “No breaks, but we’ll suggest an x-ray, just to check.”

Sam’s eyes lingered on the ripped fabric around Gabriel’s shoulder. He hadn’t noticed how ashen it had got. He hadn’t checked for any burns. He wanted to stop thinking. He wanted this to not be happening.

The other paramedic pulled out a needle with a long tube attached to it. She must’ve noticed the way Sam watched her carefully with it. “IV needle. It’s best if we insert it now.”

Sam didn’t respond at all, but she seemed to take the lack of communication as a good sign. The older paramedic swabbed the crook of Gabriel’s right elbow with an antiseptic wipe, then the younger paramedic broke the skin with the needle. She hooked it up to a hanging bag filled with fluid as the ambulance jolted to a halt.

Sam followed like a lost puppy as they wheeled Gabriel through the A&E department. Sam was fairly certain that the only reason no doctor had stopped him yet was because he was still in uniform.

“We’re going to have to ask you wait out here, sir. We need to do x-rays on his chest and arm.”

Sam nodded, and reluctantly let go of the stretcher. He hadn’t even noticed he’d been gripping the metal bars. Emotionally and physically exhausted, Sam walked back around the corner and slumped into one of the chairs.

* * *

Dean had phoned a half-asleep Castiel first, who was quickly roused when Dean mentioned the fire and Gabriel and the hospital. Castiel said he needed to pack all of the things Gabriel had left at his and take them down since neither had access to the baker’s apartment. Dean understood, and said he’d call by to pick him up.

Bobby was next. Bobby, the chief firefighter, who’d tore into Dean when he found out that he and Sam had ran into a burning building before the safety assessment with no back-up. Dean explained about Sam and Gabriel, and Bobby calmed a little. Said they still had their jobs, but he couldn’t let them just get away with a stint like that. Dean didn’t argue with that; he knew there would be some kind of disciplinary for what they did.

Dean had gone to Sam’s apartment quite soon after that – the other firefighters had managed to bring the blaze under control quite quickly. He packed a duffel bag of Sam’s clothes, knowing Sam would just sit there in uniform if no-one offered an alternative.

He tossed the duffel bag in the backseat of the Impala, and took off to Castiel’s apartment. Castiel was already stood outside when Dean pulled up. He climbed in the car wordlessly, and put a backpack next to Dean’s bag.

“Thank you,” Castiel said, after a few minutes of silence.

“Not me you should be thanking.”

“And I’ll express my gratitude to Sam when I see him,” Castiel responded. “But you ran into the fire too, so thank you.”

“You two that close then?”

“He’s like a brother.”

It was painfully obvious how they both skirted around what happened. Neither of them wanted to say Gabriel’s name, as though actually verbalizing it would make it all real.

“He’ll be fine, Cas. Promise.”

“You can’t promise that.”

“You think Sam’d let him… Sam would kick his ass if he didn’t pull through.”

The rest of the drive was quiet. Small talk was pointless, and a little inconsiderate at this point, and talking about what was going on was something neither of them really wanted to do.

They got to the hospital almost two hours after the ambulance. The help desk was, as Dean had found in the past, very little help. Apparently, they had Gabriel on the database, but beyond that, nothing. Not even a reason for admittance. Dean had groaned and bit the inside of his cheeks to stop himself from arguing back; Castiel was growing increasingly tense.

An attempt at calling Sam said his phone was either turned off, or in an area with bad signal. Dean shoved the phone back in his pocket with a sigh, and ran his free hand through his hair.

Castiel suggested checking down in the A&E department. Dean slung the duffel bag over his shoulder, and they followed the signs down to A&E.

“Could I ask if you have any information on a patient please? He came in through here,” Castiel said, taking the lead from Dean. The cheery blonde woman behind the glass looked up at him, her face the picture of cheeriness and innocence.

“Of course, sweetie! What’s the name?”

“Gabriel Novak.”

She bit her lip as she tapped on the keyboard, her gaze focused entirely on the screen. A woman with short brown hair glanced over her shoulder. “Who’re you looking for, Donna?”

“Jody! These men are looking for a Gabriel Novak, but nothing’s coming up on the system. You heard anything?”

“He was admitted a few hours ago,” Castiel inputted. “There was a fire.”

Jody squinted at Castiel. “And you two are?”

“His cousin.”

“Brother of the guy he came in with.”

Jody paused for a moment, then clapped her hand on Donna’s shoulder. “I’ll chase up the database thing,” she said, and Donna beamed at her. “You two, with me. I’m headed up to his room now – test results.”

Jody picked up a folder off the side, and walked around to Dean and Castiel, and gestured for them to follow her down the corridor.

“How is he?” Castiel asked. His hands fidgeted over the handle of his duffel bag.

“Not great, but it’s nothing we can’t sort. Fractured arm and slight lung scarring.” Dean almost let out a breath of relief. He’d seen worse in his years; he knew that it could’ve been so much worse, and that they should be counting their blessings at this point.

“Any burns?” Castiel was hesitant, but prompted her anyways.

“He got off quite well there. A few second degrees, but only small. Minimal scarring, if any.” Jody stopped just before a doorway, turning to them. “Gabriel is still out at the moment, but he should be coming round soon.”

Castiel nodded, and Jody led them into the room. In the middle was a large hospital bed. It just served to make Gabriel’s already small frame looked even more petite. He still had an oxygen mask on, with several wires trailing off to various bleeping machines. His left arm was encased in a white cast.

Sam was sat in a chair, just to the side. Still in his uniform, Sam was hunched and unmoving, watching Gabriel’s chest rise and fall. He hadn’t noticed the new presences in the room till Jody deliberately coughed.

“Like I just said to these two, it’s looking okay. I’ll bet my degree on him making a full recovery,” Jody said. Sam nodded numbly. His body relaxed into a tired slouch. “He should be round any time soon. When he is, one of you grab me, okay?” Jody didn’t wait for a response as she left.

“Go get changed, Sam. Freshen up,” Dean said, tossing the duffel bag to him. Sam didn’t have the energy or will to protest, and pushed himself up, bag in hand. Dean clapped him on the back as he walked past. “Cas, you want a coffee too?”

“Please, if you don’t mind.”

Dean nodded. “Alright, you stay here. I’ll be back in ten.”

Castiel took a seat next to his cousin as Dean left. He let the duffel in his hand drop next to the hospital bed and closed his eyes, counting the bleeps.

* * *

Two and a half coffees later – Sam couldn’t remember when they’d got to the hospital, so he measured it in coffees – Gabriel stirred. It was slow, eyes blinking and fingers twitching, but Dean was up and out of his chair when he noticed. His half-empty coffee cup stood on the wooden arm.

“Gabriel?” Castiel said first, leaning forwards. The fatigue he’d been sporting was swapped for his usual intensive focus. Castiel gripped Gabriel’s hand, squeezing as fingers curled around his.

Gabriel looked across him, blinking in confusion. “C- Ah,” he started, cutting himself off by clenching his jaw shut. Castiel frowned at him. Gabriel lifted his other hand slowly to his throat and tapped, pursing his lips.

“Your throat?”

A short nod.

“How d’you feel?” Sam asked, then added as an afterthought, “Other than your throat, I mean.”

Gabriel twisted his head on the pillow to face Sam. He smiled when their eyes met, and Sam knew that if he lost his job over it, it was worth it. Sam grinned wide back, and Gabriel gave him a thumbs up.

“How are we feeling, Mr Novak?” Jody asked distractedly, walking in with a clipboard in hand. Dean stood just behind her.

Gabriel squeezed Castiel’s hand, and Castiel caught the cue. “His throat is sore, but other than that, he feels fine,” Castiel said. Jody looked up, raising her eyebrows as she glanced between Castiel and Gabriel. Gabriel nodded at her.

“Allllright,” Jody said, pulling a pen from her jacket pocket and scribbling something down. “That’s standard for smoke inhalation. I’ll see if I can get your dosage upped, and we’ll be keeping you in overnight just to make sure, but you seem to have pulled through pretty well.”

Gabriel shrugged like it was nothing, his animated expressions and gestures making up for a temporary lack of voice.

Bringing the clipboard up to her chest, Jody let out a short bark of laughter. “You don't have, like, hospital whiteboards, do you?” Sam asked.

“I'll see what I can do. And Gabriel? When you’re better, you might wanna thank that boyfriend of yours,” Jody said, walking out before anyone had the chance to respond.

Gabriel looked across at Sam. _Boyfriend?_ he mouthed, wiggling his eyebrows.

Sam felt himself flush and nodded. “Yeah. Boyfriend.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This can either be a three-part thing, or a four-part thing (the extra chapter would be the next day, when Gabriel is released, and would probably mostly be Sam being a fussy nurse). I'd appreciate it if you can let me know if you'd rather have a three-part fic, or a four part fic :)
> 
> As always, comments and kudos are super appreciated :)


	3. interlude

“That’s all well and good Doc, but do I get to call this place quits yet?” Gabriel’s voice was raspy, but he refused to use the whiteboard for anything other than crude drawings now, claiming 9 hours not speaking was plenty enough. “Not that I don’t love your company or anything, and man, the hospital food is to die for, but this ain’t really my standard haunt.”

Jody rolled her eyes and snorted. “I think I like you better with no voice.”

“Yeah, well, life’s a bitch, Doc.”

“How’s the head?”

“Bit sore, but I’m still here and kicking,” Gabriel replied with a smirk.

Jody’s lips drew into a frown. “Ideally, I’d like you to stay in for a few more hours.”

“But?” Castiel interjected when Jody trailed off.

“If you insist on leaving, someone needs to supervise you for the next two days, at least,” Jody said. Her hands rested on her hips, and her face was that of a stern mother trying to discourage a bad decision. “The headache might be the early sign of a concussion.”

“I can,” Sam offered up. “I mean, I was off today any way, and it means delaying Bobby serving me my ass.”

Jody glanced between Sam and Gabriel, clenching her jaw. “If he gets worse, you bring him straight back, alright?”

Sam nodded. “Can't say I’ll be rushing back here if I can help it, Doc,” Gabriel said. Jody quirked an eyebrow, challenging him to carry on. Gabriel shut up.

“Fine, whatever,” she said, throwing her hands up with a sigh. “Just sign the form on the table and scram. I’ve got other patients to see.”

With that, Jody turned and left the room. Gabriel couldn't scribble down his signature fast enough. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed, using Castiel as a support as they walked out the hospital. Dean went ahead and pulled the Impala round the front of the hospital, ushering his three passengers in. Castiel called shotgun, and Sam and Gabriel took the back seats.

* * *

Sam was quietly surprised when they pulled up in front of the house Gabriel had directed Dean to. He wasn't sure what he was expecting. Well, that was a lie. He was expecting something bigger than life, like Gabriel – a bright yellow cartoon style building, maybe.

And yet, here they were, on the driveway of a relatively normal looking house. It had a small front lawn with greenery bordering three sides and flowers sprouting up in the middle. The house itself was quite large for one person. Sam assumed there was only one person, anyways. Gabriel hadn't mentioned kids or roommates, or anything of the kind.

They waved Dean and Castiel off, watching as the car rolled down the street. Castiel had a shift coming up, and Dean was probably headed straight for his bed before facing Bobby. Gabriel walked slowly over to the flower pot in front of the porch, Sam shadowing his every step.

Gabriel frowned at the flower pot, as though it was the sole cause of everything bad in the world, before sighing and turning to Sam.

“Can you lift it up?” Gabriel asked, and tagged on an overly sincere “Please?” He waved the cast for extra measure, then winced and decided waving his arm was not a good idea.

Sam let out a short laugh at Gabriel’s pout. “Sure,” he said, side-stepping the baker and gripping the pot. “Quick question: wh- Oh. Wow.”

“What?” Gabriel crouched down, snatching the key from under the pot.

“Really?”

“Emergencies, Sambo. You gotta be prepared.”

“… I thought they only hid keys under flower pots in movies.”

Gabriel shrugged and walked over to the door. It took a few attempts to get the key into the lock, being left-handed, but he persisted. “It was either that, or you broke down the door with your big fireman muscles, I swooned and fainted, you carried me upstairs, and when I came around we made sweet love all night.”

Sam made a noise somewhere between choking and laughing as he followed Gabriel inside. “You thought about that fantasy much then, or…?”

“Nah,” Gabriel waved him off with a dismissive hand. “It’s still a little rough around the edges, but I’m sure we can iron that out.”

“You want me to take my shoes off?”

“Do you normally?”

“Um, yeah.”

“Then knock yourself out,” Gabriel replied. He turned to the stairway and cupped his right hand around his mouth. “Fenrir! Daddy’s home!”

There was a high pitched woof, followed by encroaching thumps. Sam watched in amusement as a small ball of fluff half-bounded, half-rolled down the stairs. Gabriel dropped to his knees with a slight wince; Fenrir almost knocked him over as he jumped up enthusiastically.

“Sam, Fenrir,” Gabriel said through a grin as the latter tried to lick his face. Sam crouched down beside Gabriel, and stuck a hand out. The small dog eyed him cautiously, sniffing at his hand. “Fenrir, Sam.” Apparently, that was all the confirmation the Jack Russell needed before he barrelled into Sam’s hands.

Gabriel let out a short laugh and shook his head. “C’mon you little attention whore. Gotta feed you before you waste away.”

Fenrir looked up at the mention of food, starting to yap again. He followed Gabriel like a shadow out the kitchen. Sam smiled after them, and stood on the heels of his shoes as he shuffled his feet out.

He took the moment to just look around. The interior decorating had obviously been planned with a decent budget in mind – a new looking brown carpet ran the floor, and the walls looked as fresh as the ones in the café had. There were small statues on shelves which looked completely unfamiliar to Sam, and a variety of artwork matching in with the colour scheme.

It left Sam wondering – albeit briefly – just how many other shops Gabriel owned. So far, there had been no indicator that anyone else lived there.

He took his jacket off and hung it on one of the spare coat hooks.

“You want anything to eat? Drink?” Gabriel yelled from the kitchen. Sam followed the sound of his voice, into an open plan kitchen-living room. The cupboard doors were a variety of bright blues and reds and greens. Sam wasn’t even surprised, if he was honest. It had a very Gabriel feel to it. “Seriously, I owe you, like, a lifetime of free coffee now. Gotta start marking off those favours.”

“Gabe, you’ve got to rest for now,” Sam retorted, gripping Gabriel’s shoulders to guide him from the kettle. “Doctor’s orders. I’ll sort the drinks out.”

Gabriel huffed in response, folding his arms as best he could across his chest. The awkward positioning of his left arm and the curve of the corners of his mouth detracted from the whole petulant air, though.

“Fine, whatever,” he said, waving at Sam dismissively with his right hand. “Coffee’s in the tea jar, tea’s in the sugar jar and sugar’s in the coffee jar.”

“… Right. Why?”

“I figured, if I was a thief, I’d probably make myself a cuppa. So, swap up what’s where and I get to fuck with anyone who breaks in.”

Sam snorted and shook his head. “I’m pretty sure you’re the only thief who’d make a drink when they broke in.”

Gabriel frowned like Sam was being ridiculous. One eyebrow quirked in amusement. “After all that tense lock-breaking and figuring what to call dibs on, a refreshment is a blessing. Don’t be a dehydrated criminal, Sammich.”

Sam blinked, trying to figure out if Gabriel was being serious or not. “I’ll, uh… I’ll keep that in mind,” he said, nodding to himself. Fenrir was glancing between the two of them, his tail wagging continuously. “What do you want?”

“Tea. Three sugars. Milky. I’m gonna get cracking on the insurance, then.”

“Alright. Where will you be?”

“Just follow the swearing, tree boy.”

Sam laughed at the nickname and nodded. He watched as Gabriel half walked, half shuffled out of the kitchen, then turned the kettle on. Fenrir paused for a moment, assessing who he was going to get the most attention from, then decided to follow Gabriel out the kitchen.

* * *

Two cups of tea later, Sam and Gabriel were sat opposite each other at the table. Dean had swung by briefly to drop Sam’s necessities off and see if they needed any help. Much to Sam’s delight, he’d picked up his laptop, which meant Sam could be productive and look into the insurance claim.

Gabriel was trying – and failing – to brush his hair from his forehead whilst he was on the phone.

“Look, Alf,” he bit out. An afternoon of planning out where to temporarily transfer employees to, whilst the café was being rebuilt, then phoning said employees had worn down Gabriel’s patience. “I get it. You don’t like Naomi. Just suck it up and deal with it, okay?”

Sam peered up over the computer and offered up a sympathetic smile. It morphed into a frown when Gabriel winced at a rather loud sound over the phone. Sam mouthed “ _You okay?”_  Gabriel nodded tersely.

“Yeah, I’m good, kid. Don’t sweat it. I’ll let Naomi know to schedule you in, then?” Gabriel paused briefly. “See you round then, Alf. I’ll let you know when we’re up and kicking again.”

He pressed disconnect and let the phone fall on the pile of papers with a soft thump. Gabriel dropped his head into his hands, eyes shut.

“You’re not okay. What’s up?”

“Headache.” His response was muffled by his hands.

“Do you need to go back?”

Gabriel shook his head. “Nah, had worse.”

Sam’s lips drew into a thin line. “You want any paracetemol? Water?”

“Top shelf, blue cupboard.”

There were three blue cupboards. Sam was only thankful for his height, making it a lot easier to see everything on the top shelves. He found a half empty box of painkillers in the second cupboard he checked.

As he filled a glass of water, Sam’s mind jogged over anything he could remember about concussions from the first aid training. Temporary amnesia. Confusion and irritation. Headaches. Dizziness and double vision. Loss of consciousness.

Gabriel hadn’t moved; Sam placed the glass down in front of him and popped two tablets out the packet. He pulled his chair around next to Gabriel.

“Any better?”

“Nah,” Gabriel breathed out. “It’ll pass.” He dropped one of his hands to pick up the tablets. Sam noted his slow movements.

“Do you feel dizzy?”

Gabriel shook his head, straightening up a bit to take a drink of water.

“Just a few quick questions, make sure your memory’s good – what’s your name?”

“Gabriel Novak,” he replied. The lack of snarky remark concerned Sam, but it only seemed to be a headache. Gabriel kept his eyes shut, tapping his fingers on the table as a distraction.

“What day is it?”

“Friday. You were meant to take me on a date.”

Sam let out a short, relieved laugh. “Yeah. Yeah I was. How about I make that up to you?”

Gabriel opened one eye, peering across at Sam. “Not really in the mood for sex right now, if that’s what you’re saying.”

“What happened to wining and dining? I swear you’re a nymphomaniac.”

Gabriel wiggled his eyebrows, but it didn’t quite settle well with the pained frown. “I just appreciate the finer things in life. Anyways, I think you’ll find it’s Satyriasis, Sammich.”

Sam rolled his eyes. “I was more thinking I’ll order in pizza, and you can pick a film.”

Gabriel frowned and opened both his eyes. “How did you do that?” he asked, tilting his head as he watched Sam.

“What?”

“Come up with something more appealing than sex.”

Sam laughed. He stood up, pulling his phone out his pocket and waved it at Gabriel. “I’m gonna order now – I’m starving. You want anything specific?”

“Nah, surprise me.”

“You get to thinking on that film, then,” Sam replied, stepping out of the room. He clicked on the pizza place saved in his contacts and put in an order for a large Veggie Deluxe and a large Meat-eor, and a box of chocolate dough balls.

The teenager – or at least what sounded like a teenager – on the other end told him they’d be delivered in about an hour, and asked for the address. Covering the microphone with his free hand, he yelled “Gabe, what’s your address?”

Gabriel replied by walking in slow, calculated steps and grabbed the phone from Sam. The teenager hung up once she’d got down the address, and Gabriel passed the phone back to Sam with a vague frown.

“What’s up?”

Gabriel walked ahead, past the dining room they’d been concentrated and through the kitchen, into the living room area. He let himself fall back on to the sofa. Sam tentatively sat down next to him. “Hey, you good? Don’t space out on me.”

Gabriel kept looking ahead, but eventually replied. “It’s just sort of hit me, you know?”

“The fire?”

“Yeah. As in, yesterday was almost game over, and shit. That’s kinda scary, Sam.”

Sam hesitated, then placed his hand on Gabriel’s knee. Gabriel looked down on it, his posture relaxing a little. “I get it. Man, I live it. Seeing how easy it is to go, how just a small mistake means the end.”

“I don't get how you do it.”

“Me neither.”

“What did you mean, putting off seeing Bobby?” When Sam frowned, confused, Gabriel elaborated. “Back in the hospital, you said about avoiding someone called Bobby.”

“Oh,” was all Sam could muster up.

“I'm not asking something personal, am I?”

“No, no, it's just- Bobby’s the chief firefighter down the station. I, uh… I didn’t follow procedure, and he’s probably going to shred me over that.”

Gabriel turned to face Sam, shuffling so his back rested against the arm of the sofa and his legs tucked underneath him. He squinted at Sam. “What do you mean, you didn’t follow procedure?”

Sam sighed. “We have to do safety brief first, before entering. You probably know that from Cas, right?” Gabriel nodded, and Sam continued. “When our truck pulled up, they hadn’t done the safety brief, and I wasn’t going to wait around. Dean followed me in. The infrastructure was already going to hell.”

Gabriel watched Sam intently; it unnerved Sam a little, seeing the usually jovial baker so serious. “Let me just get this right,” Gabriel started. He waited for some kind of indication from Sam, continuing when Sam nodded. “You,” he jabbed Sam on the chest, “risked your job _and_ your ass. For me.”

“There was Mom, and there was Jess. I wasn't going to let it happen again.”

“You,” Gabriel bit out, “are a moron. Don't you dare ever pull something like that again, Sam.”

“I can't promise that.”

Gabriel’s jaw clenched, and the hand on Sam’s chest balled into a fist around Sam’s shirt. He let out a sound somewhere between a laugh and a whimper. Gabriel looked Sam in the eye, felt his anger and belated concern ebb away. “Thank you. I mean it.”

Sam had never been good at judging the right time for the first kiss in his past relationships. He always went in too soon, or just at the wrong time, or on one occasion, at the right time with the wrong person (entirely accidental).

This time, it felt right. Gabriel pulled Sam forward by his grip on Sam’s shirt, and Sam moved all too willingly. Sam cupped his one hand around the base of Gabriel’s neck, the other working through his hair. Gabriel tilted his head up, pressing his lips against Sam’s. It was soft and delicate, with Sam being all too careful with every movement and touch.

When they broke apart, Gabriel pushed himself up to Sam’s height and rested his head on Sam’s shoulder. “For future reference,” Gabriel half whispered, half growled, “Rough is fun too.”

Sam would've been lying if he said he didn't feel something tighten at that.

* * *

Half of the pizza ended up in the fridge, ready for an impromptu meal.

Gabriel had put ‘Big Hero 6’ on, feigning disgust when Sam said he hadn't seen it before.

Gabriel fell asleep somewhere around Callahan’s reveal, his head resting on Sam’s lap as Sam stroked through his hair. Fenrir had settled on top of Gabriel, head resting between his paws.

Sam stayed awake till the end of the film. It wasn't his normal kind of viewing, Sam decided, but it was still good. He didn't last much longer, dropping off into a light sleep soon after the post-credits scene.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And kiss! Fun fact - Big Hero 6 and a Bakery au prompt inspired this fic, and Gabriel seems like the kind of guy to be down with animated films.
> 
> As always, comments and kudos are super duper appreciated!


	4. one year later

It had been a long year.

Sam had ended up staying at Gabriel’s house for the first week – Gabriel didn’t sleep well at all, and Bobby had been understanding. He took Fenrir for walks and sorted out contracting electricians and plumbers and plasterers as Gabriel dealt with the business side and concerned relatives.

On the fifth day, they went for their first date. It was only down to the local pizza restaurant, but it got them both out the house. Gabriel had ordered a ridiculously large pizza, of which Sam couldn’t remember half the toppings. They’d ended up taking half of it back with them (of which Fenrir had a slice or two).

Within the first two weeks post incident, Sam had been introduced to Gabriel’s siblings, who all came down. What for, Sam wasn’t entirely certain. It was an understatement to say he was intimidated.

Michael had turned up, constantly flanked by four men in suits. Gabriel declared him harmless, but Sam was under no uncertain terms that Michael could probably make him “disappear”, should he ever upset him. Generally, being followed by four large men in suits tended to suggest important and dangerous, and his cool demeanour did nothing to disperse that idea.

Luke was, somehow, more intimidating. The workmen got more done in the week of his visit than they did in the following month, driven purely out of fear. Where Michael was cold and bitter, Luke was fiery and passionate – his grin was primal, and Sam tried to avoid him as much as possible.

Raphael had been a woman of few words. She wore a watered down version of Michael’s demeanour, like the world was constantly wronging her, but she was more approachable. Sam had no doubt that, like her older brothers, she could probably ruin and/or end his life, but she seemed like the lesser of three terrors.

Sam had been left wondering a few times if Gabriel was adopted.

Dean and Castiel had gotten engaged exactly 5 months, 2 weeks and 3 days after the incident. It was after a close call during a bad fire, and Dean had the realisation that, given their occupation, either one of them could end up dead tomorrow.

The following weekend, Gabriel had thrown a ridiculous party to celebrate (against all Castiel’s protests). It was the first time Sam and Dean realised just how large the family was, with rowdy siblings and cousins coming from all corners of the globe. Sam learnt to never, ever, under any circumstances, allow Gabriel and Balthazar – straight from the heart of London – to drink together.

Safe to say, progress on rebuilding the bakery was set back by roughly two months.

Dean and Castiel set the date to July 16th 2016, 9 months, 3 weeks and 4 days in the future. Gabriel decided this was reason for yet another extravagant party – Sam made sure the bakery was strictly off limits this time.

Instead, there was a run in with the local law enforcement. Sam wasn’t exactly certain what went down, except that it involved copious amounts of tequila, a stripper, 20 traffic cones and the entire ice cream stock of the local ice cream parlour. There were several charges of public indecency, which were dropped after Gabriel made a phone call to Michael.

It did make Sam wonder just how high a position Michael held.

10 months and 5 days after the incident, Gabriel asked Sam to move in with him. Sam said yes – he’d already half moved in, constantly being there to help co-ordinate the rebuilding process. Fenrir seemed more than happy to welcome him into permanent residence.

10 months, 2 weeks and 5 days later saw Gabriel and Sam welcoming an overly energetic Labrador rescue called Sully into the home. Fenrir and Sully got on surprisingly well, given the size and age difference.

Finally, one year later rolled around.

* * *

“You heading off soon?”

“Yeah, Gabe wants me to bring the dogs down for some reason,” Sam said, exasperated. He swung his locker door shut, and leant on it, folding his arms across his chest.

Dean laughed. “Be grateful, man, at least you’re not dealing with bridezilla! I’ve gotta go pick up Balth at the airport with Cas, then they’re going tux shopping afterwards. He’s treating it like a wedding dress, Sam!”

Sam grinned and shook his head gently. “He just wants it to be perfect, Dean. Cas is excited about it all.”

“I know, I know. And I am excited, you know? I’m getting married, I’m getting the dream and all. But it’s still five damn months, and he’s talking about flowers and seating arrangements and its so much.”

“He’s already asked Gabe to go along when you go cake tasting – having a professional opinion there, and all that.”

Dean groaned, and rubbed a hand over his eyes. “I swear, if there’s more wedding stuff out when I get back… I need coffee to deal with this.”

“Just breathe, and think about the honeymoon.”

“Basically just a fancy way of saying lots of sex in foreign countries.” Sam pulled an exaggerated face of disgust, prompting a smirk from Dean. “I don’t hear you denying it, Sammy.”

“I’ll, uh- I’ll catch you later, I really do need to shoot off,” Sam responded, pushing himself up off the locker. Dean laughed, and clapped him on the shoulder.

“I’ll catch you later then – drinks afterwards?”

“Only if you promise to help keep Gabe and Balth separate.”

Dean snorted. “Yeah, sure.”

* * *

 

Sam drove back to the house – their house, with a mental grin which was yet the fade – on autopilot, having memorised the route by now. He almost didn’t notice the big black car sat outside.

Sam considered driving on. Big black fancy looking cars tended to come with cold, intimidating older brothers who Sam liked to stay well clear of. He mentally kicked himself; that was as much his home now as it was Gabriel’s, and to avoid it just out of fear of Michael was ridiculous. Of course Michael was going to turn up today, as would Luke and Raphael. He couldn’t just hide from potential future family.

He parked up, and noticed a suited man watching him from his own living room window. Definitely Michael. Sam took a deep breath – and chastised himself again for being ridiculous – and worked up the courage to enter.

Michael sat in the living room. Fenrir had positioned himself on top of the dark haired man, and Sully sat at the side, her tail thumping side to side. “A word, Sam?”

“Um, sure?”

“Sit.”

This was ridiculous. Sam was being made to feel like a guest in his own home, but he had the sense not to argue with Michael. The other suited men left the room.

“I apologise if I have come across as cold. As I’m sure you can understand, given the positions held by me and my siblings, and the prolific nature of our father, I had to treat you with caution.”

Sam nodded, despite not knowing much of what Michael was talking about. He’d gathered they were important, simply form the air of arrogance they carried, but had come no closer to learning why. He knew Chuck was an author who wrote under a pseudonym, but Gabriel had never said anymore.

“Security have fully cleared you and assured me that you are who you say you are, and I have had time to make my own assessment.”

“And?” Sam had to resist the urge to tack ‘Sir’ onto the end of his response. Michael regarded him carefully for a moment, his hand tracing down Fenrir’s back.

“As hard as it may be for you to believe it, I like you. And though it is a year late, I owe you thanks for saving our younger brother. I believe you are well matched with him, and hope that you will accept this as a fresh start between us.”

“Of course,” Sam replied, trying to stop himself from nodding too eagerly.

“Good.” Michael’s lips curved, not quite enough for it to be called a smile, but Sam could tell he was pleased. “Any questions?”

Sam hesitated, before he decided his curiosity was too much. Michael had already said he liked him. “What, exactly, do you all do?”

Michael did smile this time, and Sam understood why he didn’t smile often – it came across as condescending, more than anything. “I work for the government, but beyond that is classified. Luke is a Unit Chief in the FBI, but still very involved in the field. Raphael is advisor to the Secretary of Health. Gabriel tried his hand in Bureau work, but decided it wasn’t his calling.”

“Oh.” Sam blinked. He wasn’t really sure what else to say. He realised his initial fear was right, that any one of them could make him disappear with relative ease. He was only comforted by Michael’s apparent acceptance and fondness towards him.

“Precisely.” Michael lifted his hand from buried in Sully’s fur, glancing at his wrist. “If we leave now, we will still arrive in time. Sort the dogs out, you will ride with us.”

Sam wasn’t going to refuse. Partially because Michael still scared him, and partially because he’d rather turn up in style, stepping out of a government car as opposed to his own aging car.

* * *

Gabriel was pacing back and forth.

This was a big deal. Well, sort of. And Sam wasn’t late yet, just cutting it very close. It wasn’t anything official in that sense, but it was a big deal to him. That, and he wanted to get everyone inside so Luke would stop trying to intimidate people.

It just felt so strange to be stood on the corner again, underneath those curly golden letters, key in hand. It felt even stranger to have so many friends and family stood there with him – even Chuck had turned up, though where he’d wandered to, Gabriel didn’t know.

Dean and Castiel milled around by him. Balthazar had starting trying to flirt with Charlie – Gabriel didn’t have the heart to explain to him why that wouldn’t work, and Charlie seemed both amused and flattered. Alfie tugged awkwardly at his apron. Naomi had left to try and track down Chuck. Raphael had decided to stand and act disinterested; Luke stood by her, glancing around with a fiery stare.

And Michael’s car had just pulled up in front.

It worried Gabriel a little when Sam climbed out the car too, but he didn’t seem too unnerved. He could interrogate Sam later, and find out if he needed to disown Michael. Now wasn’t the time for that.

“Sorry I’m late. There was a… slight delay.”

Gabriel crouched down, grinning as Sully licked his cheek and Fenrir bounced up and down. “Don’t worry, you weren’t even late.”

“You ready?”

Gabriel paused, then nodded. He stood up, and grabbed Sam’s free hand. “I’m ready.”

“Fuckin’ finally,” Dean interjected. Castiel playfully slapped him on the back of the head, and Gabriel stuck his tongue out.

“Are we moving?” Balthazar called out, his soft English drawl spread through each word. He flashed a smile at Charlie, and gestured ahead with his arms. “After you, _mon amie_.”

Charlie snorted and stepped ahead; Anna laughed and grinned at her. “Are you planning on telling him anytime soon?”

“Telling him what?” Charlie replied, feigning innocence. “That I’m not a connoisseur of sausage?”

“That’s one way of putting it.”

“Maybe later – this is too much fun.”

Dean rolled his eyes as he eavesdropped, and turned his attention back to Gabriel. The baker had turned to face them all, stood in front of glass doors.

“I just wanted to say, thank you to all of you. For your help over the past year, and support, and all the soppy crap people normally say thanks for. And,” Gabriel turned to Sam, lowering his voice, “a big thanks to this walking tree, who’s kept me sane through all this, dealing with the phone calls, and me being a whiny bitch. I don’t say this enough, Sam, but I love you.”

Sam couldn’t supress the smile spreading across his face. “I love you too, Gabe.”

Gabriel beamed at him. “Looks like I’ve got some customers! Can’t keep those good folk waiting!”

He opened the door, and took his first step into the newly renovated _Heaven’s Delights_. Sam followed closely beyond – the others filtering in behind him – and looked around in awe.

It was almost an exact replica of how the café used to look: the walls were a clean white, with gold swirls running the borders; jar lights hung from the ceiling in a variety of gentle greens and blues and whites, illuminating the place; the main menu took centre stage behind the counter, with two gold wings stretching out from it like before.

The only difference was the furniture. It was still a unique mash-up of regal armchairs and mismatched chairs and tables, and it still gave a homely vibe, like before. Sam couldn’t help but notice that the booth – their booth – was gone. He didn’t know why he’d expected it to still be there, he’d seen it burnt to ash before his own eyes.

“You need any help there, kid?”

Gabriel grinned at him from behind the counter, leaning across the wooden surface.

Knowing what Gabriel was doing, Sam took a few steps towards the baker and responded, “Uh… I’m not sure what to have. What’s good?”

“Depends on what you like, bucko. Gotta give me something to work with,” Gabriel retorted. He reached over and grabbed Sam’s collar, pulling him forward till they were face to face.

Sam knew exactly what Gabriel was playing at, and didn’t plan on backing down. He lowered his voice and smirked. “I’ve got to admit, I’ve developed quite the sweet tooth lately.”

“Is that so?” Gabriel flirted back, wiggling his eyebrows.

“What do you recommend?” Sam leant closer.

Gabriel paused, then pulled Sam into a kiss. It was only brief, but it left them both grinning and prompted Dean to complain loudly.

“Perfect.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right. Um. I realise that this chapter is slightly (aka 8 months) late. I am super duper sorry about that (but at least this way you can look at it as a Christmas present from me to you!) and I know I suck for how late it is. I just lost momentum when I was writing it back in April, and I've only just found the motivation. I tried writing this chapter out several times over the last few months, but it never seemed to fit.
> 
> I'm relatively happy with this. I feel it could be better, but it's the best I've managed to come up with, and it finally concludes this fic (whilst introducing the wider verse of the fic). I have to admit, having pumped this out makes me want to write out more in this verse (like Dean and Castiel's marriage, Gabriel and Balthazar hitting the town, etc). And lets be honest, if they were a human family, the archangel siblings would probably have ridiculously high ranking jobs like this, and Gabriel rebellion would be refusing to work for the government.
> 
> But yes. Here you go. Merry Christmas. Sorry it took so long. I hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> (PS bonus points to whoever figures out what Sam and Gabriel were doing at the end)

**Author's Note:**

> This has been sat in my drafts for a while, and I really liked the AU, so I thought what the hell, lets post it. Hopefully, you'll enjoy reading :)
> 
> Comments and kudos are always appreciated <3


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